Pesticides In Agricultural Products Research Articles

Effect of chlorpyrifos on freshwater microbial community and metabolic capacity of zebrafish

Chlorpyrifos is a widely used organophosphorus insecticide because of its high efficiency and overall effectiveness, and it is commonly detected in aquatic ecosystems. However, at present, the impact of chlorpyrifos on the aquatic micro-ecological environment is still poorly understood. Here, we established aquatic microcosm systems treated with 0.2 and 2.0 µg/L chlorpyrifos, and employed omics biotechnology, including metagenomics and 16S rRNA gene sequencing, to investigate the effect of chlorpyrifos on the composition and functional potential of the aquatic and zebrafish intestinal microbiomes after 7 d and 14 d chlorpyrifos treatment. After 14 d chlorpyrifos treatment, the aquatic microbial community was adversely affected in terms of its composition, structure, and stability, while its diversity showed only a slight impact. Most functions, especially capacities for environmental information processing and metabolism, were destroyed by chlorpyrifos treatment for 14 d. We observed that chlorpyrifos increased the number of risky antibiotic resistance genes and aggravated the growth of human pathogens. Although no clear effects on the structure of the zebrafish intestinal microbial community were observed, chlorpyrifos treatment did alter the metabolic capacity of the zebrafish. Our study highlights the ecological risk of chlorpyrifos to the aquatic environment and provides a theoretical basis for the rational use of pesticides in agricultural production.

Environmental threats to beekeeping in the Western Balkan countries - beekeepers’ perceptions

The subject of the paper refers to the research on beekeepers’ perceptions of environmental threats to beekeeping in the Western Balkan region. The following environmental threats were supposed to be the most pronounced: cutting of melliferous perennial plants and clearing of forests, urbanisation and environmental pollution, use of pesticides in agricultural production, pests and agents of bees’ diseases, climate changes. The aim of the research was to find out how beekeepers perceived these threats, to determine the presence of the threats and to define their intensity as well as their mutual relationship. For the purpose of this research, the authors created a structured questionnaire which was filled in by randomly selected beekeepers living in the Western Balkans. The research results show that most beekeepers in the studied area evaluated the assumed threats as strong to very strong, while the greatest percentage of beekeepers believes that climate change represents the greatest threat to beekeeping in the region. All assumed environmental threats show the same tendency, while they have the most serious effect on large apiaries with more than 150 bee colonies, located in lowland areas up to 200 meters above sea level with intensive farming. Findings of this research are important in order to adapt the current beekeeping practice in the region to more sustainable solutions, through improvement of the existing beekeeping legislation and advisory services.

Competitive fluorescent immunosensor based on catalytic hairpin self-assembly for multiresidue detection of organophosphate pesticides in agricultural products

Simple and rapid multiresidue trace detection of organophosphate pesticides (OPs) is extremely important for various reasons, including food safety, environmental monitoring, and national health. Here, a catalytic hairpin self-assembly (CHA)-based competitive fluorescent immunosensor was developed to detect OPs in agricultural products, involving enabled dual signal amplification followed by a CHA reaction. The developed method could detect 0.01–50 ng/mL triazophos, parathion, and chlorpyrifos, with limits of detection (LODs) of 0.012, 0.0057, and 0.0074 ng/mL, respectively. The spiked recoveries of samples measured using this assay ranged from 82.8 % to 110.6 %, with CV values ranging between 5.5 % and 18.5 %. This finding suggests that the CHA-based competitive fluorescent immunosensor is a reliable and accurate method for detecting OPs in agricultural products. The results correlated well with those obtained from the liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) method, indicating that the CHA-based biosensor is able to accurately detect OPs and can be used as a reliable alternative to the LC–MS/MS method. Additionally, the CHA-based biosensor is simpler and faster than LC–MS/MS, which makes it a more practical and cost-effective option for the detection of OPs. In summary, the CHA-based competitive fluorescent immunosensor can be considered a promising approach for trace analysis and multiresidue determination of pesticides, which can open up new horizons in the fields of food safety, environmental monitoring, and national health.

Simultaneous detection of four pesticides in agricultural products by a modified QuEChERS method and LC-MS/MS

A modified QuEChERS pretreatment method and LC-MS/MS technique were performed to simultaneously determine four pesticide (Hexachlorophene, Dinex, Dinosam, Dinoterb) residues in agricultural products. Through the optimization of LC-MS/MS detection parameters in SIM mode, the optimal instrument conditions are obtained. The modified QuEChERS method was used to pretreat the samples. Solid phase extractants PSA, C18 and GCB were used for sample purification. The research results showed that the correlation coefficients of the four pesticides were all greater than 0.991, which had a good linear relationship. The limits of quantitation (LOQ) of the four pesticides were 0.05–0.56 μg/kg. The recoveries were 70.51–113.20% with relative standard deviations (RSDS) of 1.6–11.2%. The developed method can provide reliable data support for the subsequent simultaneous detection of these four pesticides.

Improved Method for the Detection of Highly Polar Pesticides and Their Main Metabolites in Foods of Animal Origin: Method Validation and Application to Monitoring Programme

The application of polar pesticides in agricultural production has been of great interest due to their low costs and their high effectiveness. For this reason, the possibility of their transfer to foods of animal origin is of great concern for human health. The manuscript describes the implementation and validation of an analytical method to detect polar pesticides, at regulatory levels, in three foods of animal origin, including bovine fat, chicken eggs, and cow milk. The method was fully validated to detect glyphosate, glufosinate, and their respective metabolites in the above-mentioned foods obtaining fit-for-purpose sensitivity, recoveries (76–119%), repeatability (≤20%), within-laboratory reproducibility (≤20%), and experimental measurement uncertainty less than 50% as required by the SANTE/11312/2021 criteria. Given the satisfactory results, the applicability of the method to additional molecules belonging to the same category (AMPA, cyanuric acid, ethephon, fosetyl aluminum, HEPA, maleic hydrazide, and N-acetyl-glyphosate) was also evaluated in order to meet possible future requests. Finally, the implemented method was applied to analyse samples over the period of March 2021 to August 2022 from two Italian regions (Umbria and Marche) within the national monitoring programme. In agreement with previously available data, none of the samples analysed showed the presence of glyphosate and glufosinate at levels above the legal limit.

THYROID CANCER INCIDENCE IN THE POPULATION OF UKRAINE AND ITS EPIDEMIOLOGICAL DETERMINANTS: IONIZING RADIATION AND ENDOCRINE DISRUPTORS.

to estimate the risk of thyroid cancer incidence in the population of Ukraine in connection with its exposure to radioactive iodine fallout of Chornobyl origin and the use of pesticides in agricultural production in the country. Incidence rates of thyroid cancer in the population of Ukraine in 2001-2019, average regional radiation doses absorbed by the thyroid because of the Chornobyl accident, the volume of use of various groups of pesticides in the regions of Ukraine. statistical, mathematical and cartographic. The study covering the period of 2001-2019, revealed significant temporal and regional differences in the thyroid cancer incidence in the population of the Ukraine regions in 2001-2019. The existence of a significant correlation between the thyroid cancer incidence and the amount of radiation exposure to the thyroid associated with the Chornobyl accident was established. The existence of a significant correlation between the thyroid cancer incidence and the degree of pesticide use intensity in agriculture in the Ukraine regions was established. A significant value of multiple correlation r = 0.5866 (p < 0.05) was found between the thyroid cancer incidence in Ukraine andthe average regional radiation doses and the pesticide use intensity in agricultural production in the country. A reliable value of the multiple correlation between the value of the average regional radiation exposure doses to the thyroid associated with the Chornobyl accident and the degree of pesticide use intensity in the national economy of Ukraine and the thyroid cancer incidence in the population was determined.

Preparation, biocontrol activity and growth promotion of biofertilizer containing Streptomyces aureoverticillatus HN6.

Nowadays, due to the excessive dependence on chemical fertilizers and pesticides in agricultural production, many problems, such as soil hardening and soil-borne diseases, have become increasingly prominent, which seriously restrict the sustainable development of agriculture. The application of microbial fertilizer prepared by biocontrol microorganisms can not only improve soil structure and increase fertility but also have the function of controlling diseases. Streptomyces aureoverticillatus HN6 has obvious disease prevention and growth promotive effect, which can improve the rhizosphere fertility of plants and even regulate the rhizosphere microbial community of plants. Based on the comparison of frame composting and natural composting, we used the response surface method to optimize the preparation conditions of Streptomyces HN6 bacterial fertilizer. The results showed that natural composting not only produced higher composting temperatures and maintained long high temperature periods in accordance with local conditions, but was also more suitable for composting in the field according to local conditions. Therefore, the substrate's conductivity changed more, the ash accumulation increased, and the substrate decomposed more thoroughly. Thus, this composting method is highly recommended. Additionally, Streptomyces HN6 microbial fertilizer EC20 can reduce cowpea fusarium wilt and promote cowpea growth. The number of plant leaves, plant height and fresh weight, increased significantly in the microbial fertilizer EC20. Moreover, Streptomyces HN6 fertilizer EC20 could significantly induce soil invertase, urease and catalase activities. Our study highlights the potential use of Streptomyces HN6 as a biofertilizer to improve plant productivity and biological control of plant pathogenic fungi.

An Alternative Source of Biopesticides and Improvement in Their Formulation-Recent Advances.

Plant protection in contemporary agriculture requires intensive pesticide application. Their use has enabled the increase in yields, simplifying cultivation systems and crop protection strategies, through successful control of harmful organisms. However, it has led to the accumulation of pesticides in agricultural products and the environment, contaminating the ecosystem and causing adverse health effects. Therefore, finding new possibilities for plant protection and effective control of pests without consequences for humans and the environment is imperative for agricultural production. The most important alternatives to the use of chemical plant protection products are biopesticides. However, in order to increase their application and availability, it is necessary to improve efficacy and stability through new active substances and improved formulations. This paper represents an overview of the recent knowledge in the field of biopesticides and discusses the possibilities of the use of some new active substances and the improvement of formulations.

Development of the screen-printed electrodes: A mini review on the application for pesticide detection

The periodically excessive use of pesticides in agricultural production has caused eco-toxicity and environmental pollution issues. Developing analytical methods for pesticides that respond to the growing need to perform rapid, in situ analysis showed the bio-sensing technique as a complementary tool of classical chromatographic methods for in situ measurements and screening. Compared with the traditional solid-state electrode, the screen-printed electrode (SPE) owns the merits of low cost, easier integration, versatility, portability, smaller sizes and mass-produce, and it has been widely applied for pesticides detection. Herein, the first section of this review briefly introduces the definition of the screen-printing technique (SPT) and the preparation procedure, printing materials and advantages of the SPE, discusses the most important physical and chemical methods for SPE activation. It then summarizes the current utilization of SPE, focus on various available bioreceptors and nanomaterials modified SPE sensors and biosensors, as a novel approach for detection of the pesticides (including organophosphorus pesticides (OPs), carbamate pesticides (CPs), and herbicide pesticides (HPs)). Furthermore, it also covers the sensing principles of the SPE-based sensors along with their analytical performance, advantages and shortcomings. Finally, the current challenges and future directions for the SPE and the SPE-based electrochemical sensors for pollutants are outlined. • SPE-based sensors for detection of the pesticides are reviewed. • Preparation and printing materials of the SPE are introduced. • Different activation methods of the SPE are compared. • Development and applications of unmodified, bioreceptors and film modified SPE sensors are discussed. • Sensing principles of different kinds of SPE sensors are also illustrated.

MANAGEMENT OF PESTICIDE CONTAMINATION IN THE ENVIRONMENT AND AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS: A LITERATURE REVIEW

Introduction: The use of pesticides not only has benefits for product growth but also causes problems with the entry of pesticide residues in the food chain to pollution to the environment. This study aims to formulate ways to reduce pesticide contamination in the environment and agricultural products. Discussion: This literature review was conducted using the PRISMA method using 35 articles 14 of which were published in the ScienceDirect database, 12 in the Proquest database, and 9 in the Pubmed database. Environmental pollution due to pesticides is caused by the behavior of spraying pesticides and disposing of used pesticides by farmers. Ways to reduce it are by measuring how much pesticide is needed, training to increase knowledge about agricultural practices in preparing the required dose, and regularly monitoring environmental quality. Pesticide residues can increase due to the application of pesticides at harvest, and they can be reduced by washing, peeling, and cooking processes. In addition, another proven effective way to reduce pesticide residues is using an electrolyzed water treatment, sonolytic ozonation, and ozonated water. Conclusion: The use of unsafe pesticides will harm the environment and endanger health through the food chain. Training for farmers to use pesticides properly is considered effective in reducing pesticide pollution in the environment. In addition, the reduction of pesticides in agricultural products can be done by washing, peeling, cooking (boil, boil and fry), electrolyzed water treatment, sonolytic ozonation, and ozonated water.

AabHLH112, a bHLH transcription factor, positively regulates sesquiterpenes biosynthesis in Artemisia annua.

The bHLH transcription factors play important roles in the regulation of plant growth, development, and secondary metabolism. β-Caryophyllene, epi-cedrol, and β-farnesene, three kinds of sesquiterpenes mainly found in plants, are widely used as spice in the food industry and biological pesticides in agricultural production. Furthermore, they also have a significant value in the pharmaceutical industry. However, there is currently a lack of knowledge on the function of bHLH family TFs in β-caryophyllene, epi-cedrol, and β-farnesene biosynthesis. Here, we found that AabHLH112 transcription factor had a novel function to positively regulate β-carophyllene, epi-cedrol, and β-farnesene biosynthesis in Artemisia annua. Exogenous MeJA enhanced the expression of AabHLH112 and genes of β-caryophyllene synthase (CPS), epi-cedrol synthase (ECS), and β-farnesene synthase (BFS), as well as sesquiterpenes content. Dual-LUC assay showed the activation of AaCPS, AaECS, and AaBFS promoters were enhanced by AabHLH112. Yeast one-hybrid assay showed AabHLH112 could bind to the G-box (CANNTG) cis-element in promoters of both AaCPS and AaECS. In addition, overexpression of AabHLH112 in A. annua significantly elevated the expression levels of AaCPS, AaECS, and AaBFS as well as the contents of β-caryophyllene, epi-cedrol, and β-farnesene, while suppressing AabHLH112 expression by RNAi reduced the expression of the three genes and the contents of the three sesquiterpenes. These results suggested that AabHLH112 is a positive regulator of β-caryophyllene, epi-cedrol, and β-farnesene biosynthesis in A. annua.

National probabilistic risk assessment of newly registered pesticides in agricultural products to propose maximum residue limit (MRL).

Following the EPA recommended method, a chronic diet risk assessment for pesticides was recently performed for adults and children in the Iranian population. The National Theoretical Maximum Daily Intake (NTMDI) for 32 pesticides was computed using the theoretical maximum residue limits (MRLs) of food consumption regulations and data from the comprehensive database of the Iranian Research Institute of Plant Protection (IRIPP). The risk was assessed by comparing TMDI with the acceptable daily intakes (ADI) evaluated by FAO. From 32 investigated pesticides, 10 pesticides had TMDI > 65% of the ADI. Some of these ADI-exceeding compounds (spirodiclofen, abamectin, trifloxystrobin, spiromesifen, fipronil, difenoconazole, tetraconazole) were found in citrus, cucumber, grapes, tomato, and potato as the foods that have played the most roles in the consumption of these pesticides. Furthermore, a probabilistic risk assessment was performed to estimate the contingency of extravagance of the ADI. In the current research, only cyazofamid in potato for children consumers exceeded the 1 of the HQ. However, carcinogenic risk (CR) due to spirodiclofen in citrus fruit and difenoconazole in tomato was higher than the 1E-6 value; therefore, consumers were at considerable carcinogenic risk in these commodities. This scrutiny is essential for improving the activities' risk assessment, regulation, and surveillance.

Ratiometric fluorescent detection of pesticide based on split aptamer and magnetic separation

Pesticide residues have seriously threatened human health and affected the sustainable development of the environment. It is pivotal to establish an efficient detection platform for pesticide assays. A novel ratiometric fluorescent aptasensor for sensitive determination of pesticide has been successfully established. Carbon dots (CDs) are used as the reference emitter, while the T-rich single-stranded DNA templated copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) provide the increasing signal. More precisely, CDs/magnetic beads (MBs) combined with split aptamer are used in this detection platform to present a label-free and enzyme-free isocarbophos (ICP) detection with high sensitivity and specificity. In the presence of ICP, a sandwich-typed complex is formed which attaches a T-rich DNA. After magnetic separation and addition of Cu2+/ascorbic acid (AA), the CuNPs are generated and the strong red luminescent appears. Without ICP, just blue emission from CDs exits. The developed ratiometric aptasensor offers an excellent ICP detection in the linear range of 3–200 nM with a detection limit of 0.81 nM. It provides new ways for the assay of pesticides in agricultural products or environmental samples.

Spatial Distribution and Source Apportionment of Heavy Metals in the Topsoil of Weifang City, East China

The distribution of heavy metals in topsoil can have a significant impact on human health. A total of 1, 556 samples were collected from the topsoil of Weifang, China. Various indices, including the pollution index (PI), the Nemerow integrated pollution index (PN), and the potential ecological risk index (RI), were used to analyze the heavy metal pollution levels. The sources of heavy metals were analyzed using the positive matrix factorization (PMF) model. The results are as follows: (1) the ecological risk level of Cu, Pb, Zn, Ni, Cr, and As in the study area is relatively safe, but the ecological risk level of Cd and Hg is relatively high, leading to an increase in the ecological risk level of heavy metals in the study area and (2) the PMF results show that there are six main sources of the eight heavy metals. Cr and Ni come from soil parent material and nonferrous metal industrial activities; As is closely related to fossil fuel (coal)-related industrial activities; Cu originated from diesel fuel-related transportation and agricultural machinery activities; Pb is derived from gasoline transportation activities; Hg is closely related to the application of pesticides in agricultural production; Cd and Zn originated from organic fertilizers used in agricultural activities.

CRISPR-Cas12a based fluorescence assay for organophosphorus pesticides in agricultural products

Herein, we propose a sensitive fluorescent assay for organophosphorus pesticides (OPs) detection based on a novel strategy of activating the CRISPR-Cas12a system. Specifically, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) hydrolyzes acetylthiocholine into thiocholine (TCh). Subsequently, TCh induces the degradation of MnO2 nanosheets and generates sufficient Mn2+ ions to activate the Mn2+-dependent DNAzyme. Then, as the catalytic product of activated DNAzyme, the short DNA strand activates the CRISPR-Cas12a system to cleave the fluorophore-quencher-labeled DNA reporter (FQ) probe effectively; thus, increasing the fluorescence intensity (FI) in the solution. However, in the presence of OPs, the activity of AChE is suppressed, resulting in a decrease in FI. Under optimized conditions, the limits of detection for paraoxon, dichlorvos, and demeton were 270, 406, and 218 pg/mL, respectively. Benefiting from the outstanding MnO2 nanosheets properties and three rounds of enzymatic signal amplification, the proposed fluorescence assay holds great potential for the detection of OPs in agricultural products.

The Effect of Soil Submersion and Conditioner Materials on Residual Organophosphate Pesticides in Soil and Shallot Bulbs

Soil health decreases and residual pesticides increase due to the application of inorganic fertilizers and pesticides continuously during the cultivation of crops. The effect of 12 hours or 24 hours soil submersion and chicken litters or zeolite application before planting on residual pesticides in soil and bulbs of shallots (Allium ascalonicum L.) are studied. Samples of soils and bulbs have proceeded after shallot cultivation conducted in Brebes, Indonesia. Then organophosphate residues in the samples are analyzed using gas chromatography in the Laboratory of the Indonesian Agricultural Environment Research Institute, Bogor. The data are compared to the standard of maximum residue levels (MRL) of pesticides in agricultural products. Results show that residual pesticides in treated soils are below the detection limit of the GC equipment, except malathion is detected with values ranging from 0.039-0.050 ppm. However, residual organophosphate pesticides in the bulbs are mainly below the maximum residue levels. The only exception is chlorpyrifos which has a value above the maximum residue levels of pesticides (0.076 ppm). Farmers should be educated in integrated pest management and applying synthetic pesticides as the last option for controlling pests and diseases.

Uptake, translocation and metabolism of imidacloprid loaded within fluorescent mesoporous silica nanoparticles in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum)

Fluorescence-labeling technology has been widely used for rapid detection of pesticides in agricultural production. However, there are few studies on the use of this technology to investigate pesticide uptake and transport in plants with fluorescent nanoparticle formulations. Here, we investigated uptake, transport, accumulation and metabolism of imidacloprid loaded in fluorescent mesoporous SiO2 nanoparticles (Im@FL-MSNs) in tomato plants, and compared the results with the pesticide application in granular formulation. The results revealed that Im@FL-MSNs applied via root uptake and foliar spray both could effectively transport in tomato plants and carry the imidacloprid to plant tissues. Neither Im@FL-MSNs nor imidacloprid was detected inside of tomato fruits from root uptake or foliar spray applications. Compared with the foliar application of granular formulation, imidacloprid in Im@FL-MSNs demonstrated a higher concentration in leaves (1.14 ± 0.07 mg/kg > 1.08 ± 0.04 mg/kg, 1.13 ± 0.09 mg/kg > 1.11 ± 0.02 mg/kg), longer half-life (0.84 d < 1.31 d, 0.90 d < 1.36 d) and small numbers of metabolites formed. These results suggest that mesoporous silica nanoparticles could serve as an effective and efficient pesticide carrier for achieving the high use efficiency in plant protection. The information is also helpful to guide the pesticide applications and assess the risks associated with environmental quality and dietary consumption of vegetables.

Composition identification and functional verification of bacterial community in disease-suppressive soils by machine learning.

It has been widely reported that probiotic consortia in the rhizosphere can enhance the plant resistance to pathogens. However, the general composition and functional profiles of bacterial community in soils which suppress multiple diseases for various plants remain largely unknown. Here, we combined metadata analysis with machine learning to identify the general patterns of bacterial-community composition in disease-suppressive soils. Disease-suppressive soils significantly enriched Firmicutes and Actinobacteria but showed a decrease in Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes. Our machine-learning models accurately identified the disease-conducive and -suppressive soils with 54 biomarker genera, 28 of which were potentially beneficial. We further carried out a successive passaging experiment with the susceptible rps2 mutant of Arabidopsis thaliana invaded by Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 (avrRpt2) for functional verification of potential beneficial bacteria. The disease-suppressive ability of Kribbella, Nocardioides and Bacillus was confirmed, and they positively activated the pathogen-associated molecular patterns-triggered immunity pathway. Results also showed that chemical control by pesticides in agricultural production decreased the disease-suppressive ability of soil. This study provides a method for accurately predicting the occurrence of multiple diseases in soil and identified potential beneficial bacteria to guide a wide range of multiple-strain biological control strategies in agricultural management.

Influence of meteorological conditions on the residual content of pesticides in plants

The quality and quantity of agricultural products depends on the weather conditions in the regions of cultivation. The results of the influence of weather on the degradation rate of pesticides in agricultural products are presented in this paper. Samples were analyzed for the content of pesticide active ingredients by various chromatographic methods. Air temperature has a significant effect on the intensity of metabolic processes in the plant, which determine the degradation rate of pesticides. Air humidity is more important for water-soluble pesticides than for lipophilic ones. Rain, moisture and dew accelerate the dispersal of substances from the aboveground plant parts. When choosing pesticides to protect crops from harmful organisms, it is necessary to take into account the natural and climatic characteristics of the region.

Assessment of rural ecological environment development in China's moderately developed areas: a case study of Xinxiang, Henan province.

The reforming and opening-up has brought about the rapid development of China's economy, greatly improved the living standards of rural residents, and also caused the destruction of the rural ecological environment. Due to the backward production technology and pollution control technology, many township enterprises discharge excessive pollutants, and excessive application of chemical fertilizers and pesticides in agricultural production causes serious agricultural non-point source pollution. These pollution sources that cannot be effectively controlled cause a large number of water and land resource function decline. Not only the loss of agricultural production, but they also bring hidden danger to the survival of many rural residents. Taking Xinxiang city of Hunan province as an example, this paper selects 28 indicators and mainly uses AHP, entropy weight method, and fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method to evaluate and analyze the development level of rural ecological environment. This study can provide a reference for the Chinese government to formulate rural development planning and can also be used as a reference for the evaluation of rural ecological environment in developed and underdeveloped areas.